A Basket of Birdies
by redcakeMaine
Summary: Because even Dick can't hack into his family's protective tendencies. One-shots. AU Reverse Bat-Family.
1. Sneak Outs and Snuggles

**Chapter 1: Sneak Outs and Snuggling**

Sneaking out of Wayne Manor in the middle of the night was hard. Even for the stealthily trained protege of Batman.

The Bedroom windows had alarms, and the stairs had motion sensors. But worst of all, was the uncanny ability that all his older siblings seemed to have to know exactly what he planned on doing before he did it.

And so, even though Dick had easily managed to hack the motion sensors and security cameras, he had not been able to hack his brothers sixth senses. Terry, Damian, Tim, and Jason were all lounging lazily around the living room, silently waiting for him to make his appearance.

Dick turned on his heel, ready to make one final attempt at escape and pretend this never happened, when the floorboard beneath him creaked loudly. Crap. At the sound, four heads immediately turned towards the sound, keen eyes watching for sudden movements.

Terry was the first to break the silence.

"How long are you going to pretend you're not there, Dick?"

"As long as it takes," Dick replied. He could practically hear them rolling their eyes at him.

"Just get in here, Grayson," said Damian.

Dick sighed. "Someday, I'm gonna get past you guys!" He said as he walked through the archway and into the view of his brothers.

"And risk your well-being because you're alone in Gotham in the middle of the night?" Tim crossed his arms, "I don't think so."

Dick crossed his arms, too. "I can take care of myself, you know. I'm not the helpless toddler you all seem to think I am."

"Aww, we know that," said Jason, "We just couldn't stand to see our little Dickie-Bird getting hurt."

"Don't call me 'Dickie-Bird'."

Jason pouted. "But it's so fitting...Dickie-Bird."

"Whatever," said Dick, "I'm going back to bed."

Before Dick could run back up the stairs Tim jumped in front of him.

"Woah, woah, woah. Stop right there. You're not off the hook, yet. You still have yet to tell us just what you were sneaking out _for_. So please, do tell."

Crap, crap, crap. Luckily, being a highly trained member of a super paranoid bat family, Dick was experienced in thinking on his feet.

"Wally and I were going to show Conner the night life. We even got fake ID's and everything." Dick said. Tim laughed.

"Fake ID's? Wally and Conner I could get...maybe. But Dick! You're tiny! Last week the clerk at the grocery store gave you a sticker." Tim said.

Jason's eyes widened, a smirk on his lips. "Seriously? That is SO cute!"

"It's not cute and I'm not tiny." Dick mumbled.

"Dick, we get that you might not think you are, but," Terry let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Gotham is the last place a thirteen-year-old needs to be out, running around. We worry about you, Dick, and we don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Dick's features softened at his brother's explanation, but he couldn't resist the urge to add: "But you don't worry as much when I'm Robin."

"Oh, we worry alright. We just trust Batman and the team enough to know you're in good hands." Terry replied. Dick looked at his feet. The rest of Dick's siblings looked knowingly at each other. Tim took a step forward and laid a hand on Dick's shoulder.

"Come on, It's late…" Tim looked at the grandfather clock in the room, "or, actually incredibly early and we all need our sleep." He sent a pointed look at Dick.

Terry hummed in agreement. Jason, however, looked uncertain.

"I don't know, Dick," Jason said. "Can we trust you to not try and sneak out again?" Jason pretended to be deep in thought.

Terry, catching on, decided to play along. "Tim's right, Dick. But I think I have a sound solution. What do you think, Tim?"

Tim's eyes gleamed. "I completely agree. You on board, Damian?" Damian shrugged.

By now Dick had figured out what was going on. "Um, guys? I think I'm just going to head up to bed now…"

"Sorry, Dick," sang Jason. "But you can't escape the cuddles!" Jason quickly nuzzled his face into Dick's hair before hoisting over his shoulder, and with Terry, Tim, and Damian close behind, he ran upstairs to Dick's room and threw him on the bed.

"Ah, guys, stop it-mmph!" And just like that, Dick was smothered in a brotherly dogpile.

"I hate you all," said Dick.

"We love you, too."


	2. Caves and Colds

**Chapter 2: Caves and Colds**

In hindsight, wearing a T-shirt in the Batcave hadn't been the best idea. It was incredibly drafty down there, and the cement floors and walls did nothing to help with the already freezing temperature.

Sadly, the almighty Batman was unwilling to give up his pride to get central heating. The solution: getting new thermal-lined suits that could withstand freezing temperatures of down to -60°F.

Of course, these suits were made with the sole purpose of fighting Mr. Freeze, and _nothing else_.

But even though the suits kept the wearer warm and toasty, they took forever to get on. And henceforth, Robin had worn a T-shirt and skinny jeans down to the Batcave, waiting impatiently for Batman to come and activate the zeta-beam.

Robin was excited to see the newly established team's headquarters and hadn't wanted to waste time getting thermal Tobin suit on. He wasn't even going as Robin, anyway. He was going as the more casual: I-can't-tell-you-my-real-name-because-Batman-is-paranoid-but-if-I-could-I-totally-would-but-since-I-can't-you-can-just-call-me-Robin. The circumstances were completely different, and he didn't want to go in his Robin attire and make the team think he was up-tight and all-business like his mentor.

But despite all these reasons, Dick should have known not to wear such a skimpy outfit in a freezing underground cave. Especially not with his four over-protective older sibling hanging around.

Tim was the first to come down. He didn't say anything at first, just sat down in Batman's revolving chair in front of the computer and watched his little brother tap his foot impatiently.

And then it happened. Being in a cold-infested cave with only a T-shirt finally caught up to Robin and he shivered. It was a tiny, momentary shiver, but Tim noticed and his eyes instantly narrowed.

"What was that?"

Robin turned to face Tim.

"What was what?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," said Tim.

Robin sighed. "No, I really don't."

Tim crossed his arms. "You shivered. You're cold."

"What? No I'm not!" Robin lied. He hoped that had been the right answer, but in these situations he never knew.

As Tim was opening his mouth to reply, Terry walked in. Noticing the tense atmosphere, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Dick's cold," Tim was quick to reply.

"I am not!"

"Well, you are wearing a T-shirt in the Batcave. You've got to be a little bit cold." Terry said.

"I'm fine!"

"Who is fine?" asked Jason as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"I am!" Robin glared at all of them. "Now will you guys just leave me alone?"

Unfortunately, his body decided it was the right time to let out another involuntary shiver.

 _Perfect_.

In no time, Tim and Jason were right beside him. Tim laying the back of his hand against Robin's forehead to check his temperature. Jason wrapped his arms around his youngest brother from the back and mumbled something in his ear about 'warmth through close contact' in a sing-song voice.

Terry was calling Damian, asking him to bring down a coat for Robin. A minute later Damian appeared with a green sweatshirt and a black jacket.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted," Damian said as he handed the articles he was holding to Terry. "So I hope one of these will suffice."

"They're fine, thanks, Damian," said Terry. He made his way to Robin and gave him the sweatshirt. "Here, put this on."

"I don't want to-" Robin started before Jason grabbed the sweatshirt from his hands and quickly pulled it over Robin's head.

Robin glared at him and then the sweatshirt. "I hate green."

Jason laughed. "No you don't! But if it makes you feel better, I'll buy you one in every color!"

Robin groaned...and then shivered. His eyes widened. "That wasn't anything! I'm not cold anymore! I'm actually really warm, now!" But no one was listening.

Robin closed his eyes resignedly as he felt his arms being pushed through the black jacket that Damian had brought down.

When he finally lifted his eyelids, he found himself looking right at Batman, his older brothers nowhere in sight. Traitors.

Robin shifted uncomfortably under Batman's hard gaze, and he let out a long relieved breath after the man finally turned away.

"Cold, Robin?" Batman asked as he punched in the coordinates for the zeta tube.

Robin sighed. As he followed his mentor toward the tube he called over his shoulder, "When I get back there had better be a rainbow of sweatshirts in my closet!" Then he disappeared into the zeta beam.


	3. Nightmares and Nurturing

**A/N: Thank you all for the follows, favorites, and reviews! By the way, I would love it if any of you had any ideas for oneshots or prompts, so leave it in a review or P.M. me if you have any ideas.**

 **Also, I need to know what pairings you want in this story (canon, or other), so let me know!**

 **Thanks again!**

 **Chapter 3: Nightmares and Nurturing**

Dick woke up in a cold sweat. He couldn't pinpoint what had made his dream so scary-it was one of the many that had dispersed into lots of incoherent images as soon as he woke up-but it had been terrifying. Something about it had left him feeling uneasy and exposed.

The boy sat, trembling, on his bed for several minutes. He knew he wouldn't get back to sleep for a while after _that_ dream, especially when he was alone. Finally, Dick came to a decision. He threw the duvet back and placed his feet on the lush carpeting. Then feeling childish, he gently padded to his brothers room.

Jason's room was the closest, something for which Dick was glad. Jason had always been the most affectionate toward him, hugging him or petting his hair every chance he got. Something about Jason acting so comfortable around Dick had made Dick more comfortable around him. Not to say that the youngest child didn't feel comfortable around his other brothers. After the years of growing up in the manor with them he felt their interactions were almost completely natural and he loved being around them. But they were bats, and tended to rarely show affection with hugs and cuddles the way Jason did. And Dick, being an affectionate person by nature-even though he tried to hide it-found himself gravitating towards Jason for the loving touch he so often craved.

Before he knew it, Dick had reached the door to Jason's room. Slowly, the ebony pushed the door open and shut it behind him. Turning towards the bed, he could see the Jason-sized lump upon it.

Dick silently took a few steps towards his brother's sleeping form, but hesitated at the edge of the bed.

He was embarrassed to say the least. Was he to old to be able to seek comfort after a nightmare? Was he to old to have his older brother just hold him and chase all the scary feelings away? He was thirteen after all, not five.

In the end, Dick's self consciousness prevailed, and he moved to lay on the floor next to the bed, fully prepared to wake up at the brink of dawn to get out of there and avoid an awkward confrontation. However, he bumped the nightstand on his way down to the carpet, and the lamp that was standing on it came crashing to the floor, shattering on impact.

"Ahhh!" Jason jumped to his feet and landed in his fighting stance. His eyes searched the room for an attacker, but instead found the small form of his little brother. "Dick?"

"I'm sorry," Dick's small voice said.

"It's fine, but what were you-" Jason's eyes finally put together the broken lamp and the way Dick was trembling like a leaf as he tried to pick up the broken glass.

"Oh, Dick." Jason rushed to his brother and grabbed his wrists, forcing him to put the shards of glass down. "Dick, stop it."

"But I b-broke it, a-a-and...and," Dick trailed off.

"And we can clean it up tomorrow. For now I think we should just get in bed and get some sleep." Jason replied.

Dick looked uncertain. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Jason smiled gently. "I couldn't be more sure. You know you're welcome to sleep here whenever you want. Especially when you have a nightmare." Jason glanced pointedly at Dick when he said the last bit and sighed when his brother looked down.

"Nightmares are nothing to be ashamed of, Dick," Jason said as he gently nudged Dick towards his bed. "Everyone has them."

"I know...I had just hoped I'd grown out of them by now," said Dick.

Jason sat down on his bed. "Well, personally, I'm glad you haven't outgrown them."

Dick looked at him incredulously. "What?"

Jason shrugged. "It means I get to cuddle you more often." Jason smiled when Dick blushed. "And you know how much I love to cuddle!" Jason grabbed Dick around the waist and pulled him down next to him on the bed. He rocked his brother back and forth as he buried his face in his hair.

Dick let out a sigh and relaxed in his brothers hold. In that moment, he decided he wasn't to old to come to his older brother for comfort, and he wasn't sure he ever would be.

Safe in his brother's arms, Dick began to doze off. But before he did, he managed an "I love you, Jay," before his eyes closed.

Jason tightened his grip on his little brother and leaned down to place a kiss on his hair. "I love you, too, Dickie-bird."

Bruce rubbed his eyes as he make his way up from the Batcave to his room. He had stayed up later than usual looking through some files and now he felt more than ready to hit the hay.

As he made his way to his room, though, something stopped him in front of Jason's door. Cautiously, he stuck his head inside the door and smiled at what he saw. His youngest and third oldest sons lay in the bed. Dick with his head on Jason's chest and Jason's protective arm thrown over him.

Bruce silently stepped all the way inside and pulled out his phone, taking a few quick pictures. Then, putting his phone away, he walked to the bed. Grabbing the blankets that had been thrown to the floor and gently threw them over the sleeping boys. His boys.

Bruce ran a hand through Jason's hair and pecked Dick's cheek before leaving the boys to a peaceful night's sleep.


	4. Comfort and Commemoration

**Chapter 4: Comfort and Commemoration**

The whole week Dick had been melancholy, but today was icing on the cake. It was already noon and he hadn't even been out of his room yet. Alfred knows not to bother him about the importance of meals like he usually would, not today.

Bruce had called Dick's school to tell them he wouldn't be attending today. Tim, Jason, Damian, and Terry had left for school hours ago, despite their protests. Bruce was positive that he and Alfred could handle his youngest for the few hours his elder children would be gone.

So far the day had been uneventful. Bruce sat in his den, pretending to be productive, as he waited for Dick to make an appearance. His waiting finally paid off at around one o'clock.

There was a quiet knock at the door, and Bruce instantly perked up.

"Come in," Bruce said softly.

The door creaked open, and Bruce found himself staring at his 13-year old son. Except, with his disheveled hair, red-rimmed eyes, and stuffed elephant, Zitka, tucked under his arm, he looked to be only nine or ten.

"Hey," Dick whispered. Bruce's face immediately softened.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" He asked his son.

Dick pursed his lips and shrugged. "I want to go see them."

Bruce nodded, he had been expecting this. "You grab a jacket and I'll let Alfred know."

Dick shuffled out of the rom and Bruce let out the breath he had been holding. He hated to see Dick like this, any of his children like this. It tore at his heart in ways he couldn't explain, yet he knew he would endure the pain tenfold for the sake of his children. He loved them all dearly, even if he sometimes had a hard time showing it.

The cemetery was empty when they arrived. Dick went straight to his parents graves, flowers clutched tightly to his chest. Bruce trailed him from a safe distance. He watched as Dick knelt in front of the two graves and gently placed the bundle of flowers in between them. He listened as Dick whispered a quick, "I miss you," to the stones. But he turned away when tears started to fall from Dick's eyes.

After a few minutes it started to sprinkle. Every so often Alfred, who was waiting by the car, would check his watch. Eventually the butler made his way over to Bruce and tapped his shoulder.

"Master Bruce, if I may, school is letting out soon."

"Right, um…" Bruce looked uncertainly back at Dick, whom appeared to be standing up and wiping a sleeve across his face. "Are you ready to-"

Dick cut him off. "Yeah, let's go."

The trio made their way back to the car. Dck took one last glance towards the cemetery before climbing through the car door that Alfred was holding opened for him. The boy took the seat closest to Bruce. As Alfred drove away from the lawn of graves, Dick layed his head on Bruce's shoulder.

"Thank you, " he murmured. Bruce didn't say anything, but wrapped his arm around Dick's waist, pulling him close, and kissed the top of his head.

The rest of the drive was quiet. The volume only raised slightly when the other bat brothers filed in, their clothes rustling.

No words were spoken, but each boy couldn't fight the big-brother instinct they all had to comfort Dick.

Damien gently patted Dick's knee, Tim smoothed down his hair after Terry had ruffled it up, and Jason blew him a kiss. A tired smile flitted across Dick's face at his brother's actions. The young ebony knew he was so lucky to be a part of this family. And with that thought, he buried his face into Bruce's chest and let himself relax as feelings of love and safety washed over him.


	5. Beds and Brothers

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long! I'm am overjoyed by the continuous alerts of people favorite-ing and following this story! This chapter is for BirdsSpeedandArrows, I don't think it's exactly what you were looking for, but I hope you'll enjoy.**

 **I'm working on other requests now, and let me say, I was surprised that I got any, so thank you! I hope to have another requested chapter done soon.**

 **Chapter 5: Beds and Brothers**

None of it had been real, and deep down, Dick knew that...but it still hurt. The loss of his parents at such a young age had always plagued him, until Bruce had taken him in. For a while, life was good. The simulation had ruined that goodness.

Dick wasn't really sure what to feel. Angry at Bruce for setting the simulation up? Sad for seeing his friends die and knowing he was the one who had caused it? Or wounded to see the person who had taken him in, become his surrogate father, die right before his eyes. He mulled over his emotions in silence. Afterall, he wasn't weak. No, he didn't want to become _The Batman_ anymore, but he didn't want to make the man think any less of him than he probably already did. He had lead his team to their deaths. That wasn't what leaders did. He wasn't fit to be a leader, wasn't fit to be protege of _The Batman_. Dick could only imagine the horrible things the man was thinking of him as he cast glances at him from across the Batmobile's middle console. The boy could only pray that his mentor wouldn't kick him out.

The silence between mentor and protege continued for the remainder of the ride. The only sound that was made was the swishing of capes as the duo exited the car. Alfred was waiting for them in the cave, holding changes of clothes for both of them. In a matter of moments, Batman and Robin, fearless crusaders of the night, became Bruce and Dick, a weary and wealthy father and son.

Bruce put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "I think we should talk."

Dick shrugged the man's hand off. "No, I'm...I don't know. I think I'm just gonna head to bed."

DIck rushed to the elevator, eager to be rid of Bruce's presence. He needed to be alone. He needed to process everything, look at it critically. The ebony arrived at his room and glanced at his adjacent bathroom before deciding against going in there. He slumped down onto his bed, not bothering to get under the covers, just laying there with his eyes closed.

How was he ever going to face the team again? He had led them all to their deaths. Bruce was disappointed, he just knew it.

Dick took a few deep breaths and tried to let sleep whisk him away. However, after many minutes, no sleep came him. Sighing, Dick looked at his bedside clock. 11:48. Not outrageously late, yet he was tired beyond belief. Why couldn't he fall asleep? If he could get to sleep he could forget all about what a disappointment he was until tomorrow. But that was the problem, though, wasn't it? No sleep would come to him. Maybe if he had company, or a warm comforting body nearby...no. That's not what he wanted, right? Why would he want to be around people who were ashamed of him?

The need of comfort from another person soon grew, and Dick found himself placing his feet firmly on the floor and walking out of his bedroom. His feet lead him to Bruce's bedroom door.

"I can't," Dick told himself. But then again, why not? Maybe he had it all wrong. There was always the slight chance that Bruce wasn't as dissatisfied as he thought he was. So, with a deep breath, Dick stepped into the room.

It was dark, and the distinct sound of Bruce's breathing could be heard. Dick padded over to the bed and darted under the covers. If he was careful, he might not wake up Bruce.

"Whah...Dick?" Bruce mumbled,shifting to look at his new guest. "Are you 'kay?"

Dick opened his mouth to reply, but closed it before anything came out. Was he okay. No, he wasn't.

"Can I stay here, tonight?" He asked, instead.

Bruce looked at him for a moment. "I'm really sorry about the simulation today, Dick. I didn't realize how badly it could have turned out. I never should have put you, or the team, through that."

Dick was shocked. "It's not your fault I was such a horrid leader. How were you supposed to know that I'd end up killing everyone."

"Richard," Bruce said, firmly. "You did not kill anyone. None of what happened was your fault. I already told you, the simulation was designed to always get worse. No one would have been able to complete it successfully. You did a great job working under pressure, just like I taught you to. And," Bruce's hand traveled to Dick's chin and lifted it gently. "I am very proud of you."

Dick smiled. "Thanks, Bruce."

Bruce threw an arm snugly around Dick's waist and pulled him closer. After a quick kiss to the boy's head, and a soft 'goodnight', Bruce let his eyes close.

All was peaceful for a few moments, and then the door creaked open.

"Bruce?" It was Jason voice. "Bruce, do you know where Dick is? He wasn't in his room, and I heard you both come in. Alfred was sure he came upstairs." Jason stepped closer to the bed and reached out to poke Bruce. "Hey, wake up old man. This is serious. I don't know where he could-oh." It was then that Jason noticed Dick.

Jason sighed in relief, then smirked. "How come I wasn't invited to this cuddle party?"

"Just shut up and go to sleep," Bruce said.

"Fine," said Jason. He lifted up the covers and scooted over towards Dick. "Cuddles!"

Dick rolled his eyes beneath his closed lids. Finally, he could get some much needed rest.

Suddenly, whispers from the hallway flooded into the room.

"Terry, I'm sure everything is fine."

"They got up and didn't come back, Tim. I'm just going to make sure things are alright."

"Terry, they're fine. Look."

Light flooded into Bruce's room.

"Ugh, what now?" Bruce said.

Terry's face had turned an awkward shade of red, but he managed to respond. "We were just checking in. Is everything alright?"

"Dick needed some cuddles," Jason replied.

Tim's brow furrowed. "Is he okay?

"I'm right here, and yes, I'm fine," Dick said.

"He could use some brotherly cuddles," Jason sang.

"Tim, Terry, just get in here and turn the light off! Good grief," said Bruce.

The light went out, and the two boys joined Bruce, Dick, and Jason. All was quiet once again. Jason sat upright.

"Wait, something's missing. I'll be right back."

"Jason," Bruce growled, but the boy was already gone.

In a minute, he was back. A tired, disheveled Damien trailed behind him. Jason settled down on the bed once again, pulling Damien with him.

"Okay, now it's perfect."

Damien gave a quick glance to the other people in the room and turned his back on them. "You wake me up, you die."

Dick smirked. Yes, this was exactly what he needed.


	6. Missions and Mayhem

For Pixie07

 **Chapter 6: Missions and Mayhem**

Dick had loved the feel of the wind rushing through his hair, and the feeling of freedom that flying through the air gave him. However, the boy wasn't quite sure that all of those good feelings were worth the bat-glare that Damien was currently giving him.

Damien had been waiting for him in the bat-cave when he arrived through the zeta tube. There was no need to make up an excuse, because Dick was already quite positive that the boy had found out where he went by the look on his face.

"You could've asked, you know," Damien said.

Dick sighed. Apparently they were getting straight to the point. "I know, Dami. This was just something I wanted to do on my own."

"Yeah, right. On your own with four other people. Those people could've been us, your brothers," said Damien.

"Damien, will you please just leave it!" said Dick.

"Leave what?" said Terry. Dick and Damian swiveled their heads to look at the approaching boy.

Damian's cry of "Dick went on a dangerous, unapproved mission," and Dick's "Nothing!" rang out at the same time. The two boys turned to glare at each other.

"Wait, Dick, you went on a mission? For what?" Terry asked.

"Haly's circus," said Dick.

Terry's face immediately softened. "Oh, how'd it go?"

Dick smiled, glad he had won at least one of his sibling over. "It was successful. Haly even let me perform again once he realized who I was."

"Wait," Terry's eyebrows furrowed. "He found out who you were?"

"That I was Richard Grayson," the ebony corrected. "My secret nightlife is still safe."

"That's a relief," said Terry.

Damian spoke up. "So, you're just going to congratulate him? He went on a mission without telling anyone! He could have gotten hurt, or captured, or worse, and we wouldn't have known what happened! How can you be so calm?"

Terry sighed. "Damien, yes, it was stupid, but can you blame him? He was going to see his childhood home, to save it. I would've done the same thing, and I'm pretty sure that you would've, too."

"Whatever," growled Damian. "I'm going to tell father."

Dick's eyes widened. "No! Damian, you can't do that. Bruce'll kill me!"

"Not my problem," Damian said with a shrug. Damian began walking quickly towards the grandfather clock on the wall. Dick ran after him, grabbing his arm.

"Damian, wait!" Dick yelled, but Damian had already stepped inside the glass case of the grandfather clock and was on his way out of the batcave.

Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Terry came up beside him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, Dick," said Terry. "It might be a good idea to get changed. What do you say?"

Dick shrugged. "I guess…"

Terry led his younger brother towards the changing area and handed him a pile of civies. He waited as Dick changed and then followed him upstairs.

Tim slammed his fist down on the table. Calculus was so _aggravating_. Honestly, who came up with it? Deciding he needed a break (and maybe some help from his mathlete little brother), Tim stood up from his desk. He slammed his door on the way out of his room, secretly hoping that the sound would scare the math away.

On his way to Dick's room he ran into Jason.

Jason grinned at him. "On your way to the math-machine?"

"Well, my calculus problems won't solve themselves," said Tim.

They walked the rest of the way to Dick's room in silence.

Jason knocked on Dick's door. "Hey, Dickie! Open up, and solve our problems for us!" When no one answered his call, Jason sent out one last warning before barging into the room. It was empty.

"Dickie?" Jason said, looking around the dark room.

Tim snorted. "I don't think he's hiding in the closet, Jason."

"I know that."

"Yeah, whatever, Todd," said Tim, rolling his eyes. "He's probably in the kitchen. Let's head down there."

Both boys followed the hall, and then slid down the main staircase banister, making it to the kitchen in record time.

"Boys, no sliding on the banister." said Alfred. He always seemed to be right there whenever any one of them did something wrong.

"Sorry, Alfred," said Tim and Jason.

"Have you seen Dick?" asked Tim.

"Why? Couldn't stand one more second without seeing my beautiful face?" Dick joked from behind them.

"We couldn't stand one more second without exploiting your beautiful brain is more like it," Jason said. "Do you have a minute? My geometry can't wait."

Tim glared at him. "Um, excuse me. My calculus problem is burning a hole in my math book."

Dick looked to Terry, who nodded.

Dick grinned and then turned back to Tim and Jason. "C'mon guys!"

"Wow. I have never seen anyone so excited about math. But, hey," Jason held up his hands, "I'm not complaining."

Before the three boys could leave the room, Terry held up a hand. "Hey, Dick. Tim and Jason will meet you upstairs."

Dick looked at Terry strangely, but finally shrugged. "Kay." He ran up the stairs.

"So, what's up, big guy?" Jason asked.

"It's just…" Terry started. "Dick had a, well, up-close experience with his old life today, so just be gentle. I think he's just barely keeping everything under control."

Jason's face had darkened considerably as Terry explained the situation. "Was someone teasing him again?"

"No, nothing like that." said Terry.

"Than what was it like?" asked Tim.

"Dick," Terry stopped and took a cautionary look around. "He went back to Haly's today. Some mission to save the circus from going under. But don't mention anything to Bruce, he doesn't know."

"What do you mean he doesn't know? Doesn't he assign the team all of their missions?" said Tim.

"He went without permission, didn't he." said Jason.

Terry grimaced. "He did what he thought was right."

"Yeah, but just because it's right doesn't mean it's okay!" said Jason.

"Jay, calm down," said Tim. "Terry's got a point. We shouldn't hound Dick about it."

"I wasn't planning on 'hounding' him. But I am telling Bruce." Jason said.

"Really, Jason? Having Bruce get down on him is the last thing he needs right now. Why are you being so difficult?" Terry said.

"I'm not being difficult! I just don't see how letting Dick off the hook is going to help him in the future. He could have gotten seriously hurt, and we wouldn't have known!" Jason cried.

"You sound just like Damian," said Terry. "And the team would have let us know if Dick had gotten hurt. You know that."

"Ugh! Stop trying to justify this." Jason huffed. "I'm going to tell Bruce, whether you like it or not, because it's my _duty as a brother_ to protect Dick." He turned on his his heel, wide strides quickly distancing himself from his older brothers. "My math homework can wait."

Terry and Tim shared a look before rushing after him. They caught up to him at Bruce's study. Damian was there, too, sitting tensely in one of the chairs in front of Bruce's desk. Bruce, himself, was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the big guy?" asked Tim.

"On his way," Damian replied.

Terry sighed. "So you guys are really going through with this? You do realize how much trouble Dick's going to get into for this, right? He'll hate you."

"I don't care," Damian said stiffly.

Tim scoffed. "Yes you do." Damian glared at him, but said nothing in reply.

"You guys, come on. Dick would never do this to you. He would never rat on you if one of you were in his shoes." said Terry.

"And what, exactly, would he be ' _ratting'_ about?" Bruce was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed.

Terry rolled his eyes up to the heavens. This _always_ happened.

"Father," Damian nodded. "What would you say if I told you that Dick went on a mission, without your permission?"

Bruce unwrapped the scarf from his neck. "I would say that I already knew."

"You already knew? How?" Jason asked. Bruce raised his eyebrows at him and the boy winced. "Right, The Batman…"

"I expected you to be more…" Terry said.

"Angry?" Bruce finished. "Well, I have to say, that I was at first, but, I understand what it meant to him to go back there one last time."

Terry shot Damian a meaningful glare, but it was brushed off.

Footsteps rang through the hallway. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," said Bruce.

Dick peeked his head in. "There you guys are! Do you still want to run over...oh." Dick's eyes scanned the faces in the room, falling lastly on Bruce's. He sighed. "You told him, didn't you."

"Yes, and we had every right." Jason said, crossing his arms. As a side note, he added, "And you're not aloud to hate us for doing our brotherly duty."

Dick sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm not going to apologize for going to Haly's. It was really important to me, and it felt good."

"I can imagine," Bruce put a hand on Dick's shoulder and leant towards him. "But next time, I want you to tell me _before_ you go."

"Yeah, okay," said Dick. He looked up hopefully. "Sooo, you're not mad?"

Bruce straightened up. "Not mad, not anymore."

Dick grinned.

"However," said Bruce. "I want to keep an I on you for the next week, and that sure would be easier if you came straight home from school, didn't go out with any friends, and gave me all of your electronics."

"Ha!" Jason laughed.

Dick's grin fell. "Figures."


	7. Sisters and Sweethearts

For Triscribe

Warning: OOC Bruce

Chapter 7: Sisters and Sweethearts

Dick didn't think he'd ever felt quite like this before. His heart would start to flutter before dropping down into his stomach. His cheeks would heat up and whatever he tried to say would come out in an awkward stutter. Yep, Dick was pretty sure he was in love. Or, at least, in very evolved puppy-love. But unfortunately, no matter how many feelings assaulted him, Dick still couldn't figure out the perfect Valentine's gift for his sweetheart.

He had started out by stating chocolates as to unoriginal and stuffed animals as too cheesy. After an hours speculation, nothing else had popped into his head. Hundreds of crumpled up papers covered the floor, each containing the start of an idea that had been quickly dismissed. Dick had even texted Waly for help, but it yielded no response.

Dick looked at the clock before letting his head fall to his desk with a soft 'thunk'. He'd been at this for hours, and Alfred would be coming up soon to collect him for dinner. Sure, 4:30pm was a little early for dinner, even from a rich sophisticated person's (like Dick's) point of view. But today was the exception; Cassie and Steph, Dick's 20 and 22 year old sisters (respectively) were coming to visit and had specifically requested a long period of "catching-up' time after dinner.

Right on cue, there was a knock at the door.

"Master Richard," came Alfred's voice, "Master Cassandra and Master Stephanie have arrived. Wash up and come to the dining room."

"Sure thing, Alfred."

While Dick was still feeling discouraged from his Valentine brainstorming session, he was still excited to see his older sisters again. They didn't stop by very often and Dick missed them.

After washing his hands in the bathroom. Dick bounded down the stairs. The ebony followed the sounds of chatter and, surprisingly, laughing to the dining room. Everyone looked up as he entered. A squealing could be heard before Dick found himself smothered in what he could only guess was a hug.

"Dickie!" That was Steph. "Oh my gosh, I missed you so much!"

"Okay, okay, let me have a turn!" Cass pulled Dick from Steph's grasp and gave the boy a quick hug. Her eyes began to sweep his body as she pulled away. "You've grown." She sounded as if it was physically hurting her to say it.

Steph nodded from behind her. "I almost didn't recognize you. You're going to be all grown up soon."

All of the boys at the table frowned, not keen on thinking about the baby of the family not being a baby anymore.

Dick sat down between his sisters and waited for Alfred to bring out dinner. The family ate in silence, with Cass or Steph asking questions of Bruce or the brothers every once and awhile.

"So," said Steph. "Any of you have a date for Valentine's day?"

Jason's mouth warped into a sly grin. "Please, with a handsome face like this, how could I not?"

Damian rolled his eyes. "A few ideas come to mind," he muttered.

Jason glared. "Whatever, birdbrain, at least I actually have a date."

Damian raised one eyebrow smugly. "I never said I didn't." Jason opened his mouth to reply, but, with one look from Bruce, he snapped it shut.

Steph spoke again. "So, what I'm hearing is you have some sort of secret affair going on? Care to share?" Damian glared at her.

"Right," Stephanie said. She turned to Tim. "What about you?"

"Double date. Valencia would only agree to go out with Danny if her friend had a date."

Jason snorted. "How romantic."

"Jason," Bruce warned.

From across the table, Terry cleared his throat. "Doesn't anyone want to hear about my very romantic dinner plans with Alex?"

"No," said Jason. Bruce rolled his eyes. What was the use?

"Yes!" said Steph. "Of course we do! And don't skip out on any details! I have been romance-deprived for far too long, and you seem to be the only one with a proper Valentine's date."

"Um, actually…" Everyone's head snapped to Dick.

"You have a date? Aren't you like, eight?" Damian asked incredulously.

"I'm thirteen you idiot, and yes, I do have a date. But it's not exactly very whelming yet." Dick said. "I wanted to ask for Steph and Cassie's help in making it more, or, romantic."

Stephanie squealed and jumped out of her seat. "Of course we'll help. Oh, this is priceless! Your first date, and I get to help plan it out!"

"Thanks, Steph, I really appreciate⎯"

"No," Bruce interrupted firmly. The room went silent.

"No? Bruce, we already agreed to a time and everything," Dick stammered with wide eyes.

"Well then cancel," said Bruce. Seeing Dick's stunned expression his voice softened slightly. "It's not anything personal, I just don't trust whovere it is with you."

Dick's eyes narrowed. "You do realise that that was a contradictory sentence, right? And also that you haven't even met them yet?"

"You're too young to date, Dick," said Bruce.

"No I'm not! Jason dated when he was thirteen. Heck, so did Terry. And Tim...and Steph!," argued Dick.

"They're different," Brue said.

Dick threw up his hands. "What? How the heck are they⎯" The boy was cut off by Alfred.

"Master Richard, there is someone at the door for you."

Dick stood up and, with a last glare at Bruce, exited the room. A familiar red-headed, sixteen year old boy awaited him in the foyer.

"Wally?" Dick asked. "What are you doing here? Not that I don't appreciate your timing. Bruce can be so overbearing sometimes!"

"Dude! I called you, like, a hundred times. You texted me about some urgent situation that you needed help on, and then you totally left me hanging. I thought you were in serious trouble! said Wally.

Dick ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, I'm sorry, Walls. I totally forgot, and then Steph and Cassie came over…"

"It's fine," said Wally. "But now that I'm here, what was it that you needed my help with?"

Dick sighed. "Oh, that." Dick looked around the foyer for somewhere private to speak with Wally. His eyes fell on the closed door of the coat closet. Dick grabbed Wally's wrist and pulled the boy into the small, dark space.

"Woah, what are you doing?" Wally protested.

"No one can see or hear us in here," Dick said.

Wally's face was tinged pink, but he grinned. "If you wanted to make out you could've just asked."

Dick hit the redhead's shoulder. "No, you doofus! I didn't want Bruce to hear us talking. He was a bit touchy during dinner."

Wally's grin faltered a bit, but he motioned for Dick to continue.

"There's this person…" Dick started.

"Ooooh!"

"Shut up, Wally! But anyway, I asked them to go on a Valentine's day date with me, and they said yes. But now I don't have any ideas, and it needs to be totally whelming because I've liked them for a while and I really want it to work out!" Dick said.

"Hey, hey, calm down! It'll work out now that the Wall-man is here to help!" Wally said.

"Thanks man, your the best," said Dick.

Wally puffed out his chest. "That's the Wall-man to you."

Dick shoved him. "Shut up."

Wally shoved him back. "No, you shut up."

After Dick had shoved Wally again, the redhead retaliated by beginning to tickle Dick mercilessly.

"No, Wally, stop!" Dick giggled.

"Not until you say that 'the Wall-man is the best, most awesome, person to ever live'."

"Haha! Never!" said Dick.

Wally shrugged. "Then you leave me no choice." Wally kept on tickling Dick, forcing him up against the door so that he didn't have any wiggle room.

Suddenly, the closet door flew open, and both boys fell out into the open. Wally landed on top of Dick with a groan, his hands still in the same position they had been tickling from moments before on Dick's stomach. The boys looked up to find Jason looking down at them with raised eyebrows. All was silent for a moment.

"Wally?" Jason asked.

"Hey, Jason...w-what's up?"

Jason glared at him. "Bruce, I found them!" Jason shouted. "They were getting it on in the closet!"

"What!" Bruce shouted.

Bruce's face almost immediately joined Jason in looking down on the two boys on the floor.

After a few moments of taking in the scene, Bruce narrowed his eyes at Wally. "Get your filthy hands off my son before I have them removed."

Wally's hands shot up and he awkwardly climbed off of his friend. "I, um...It's not what it looks like!" said Wally. His eyes were wide and frightened.

"Wally's right," said Dick. "Don't be mad at him, we were just talking."

Jason, still glaring daggers at Wally, snorted. "'Just talking', sure."

"Jason, go back to the dining room," Bruce said, he eyes never leaving Wally. "ANd take Dick with you. I need to speak with Wallace...alone."

Wally whimpered in fear.

"No." Dick said. He took a step so that he was standing in front of Wally. "I'm sick of this. You treat me like I'm some little kid who can't protect themselves. Well guess what? I'm not a kid anymore, and I'm more than capable of taking care of myself!When are you going to understand that?"

Bruce finally tore his eyes off Wally to look at his youngest son. Taking in his angry stance he sighed. "Dick, this isn't the time."

That only made Dick more frustrated. "No, this is the time. No more excuses! Why don't you trust me?"

Bruce shook his head. "Dick, it's not you who I don't trust. It's everyone else. There are so many people out there who could hurt you, like this buffoon." He jerked his head towards Wally.

"Hey!"

Bruce continued. "The last thing I want is to see you getting hurt. And, you might not understand this, but with crime-fighting, there's only so much I can do to protect you. But with the little things, like love and friendship, you're still so innocent, and I don't want anyone to corrupt that."

Dick crossed his arms. "I'm not innocent."

Bruce laughed. "I know you might not believe it, but you don't need to. All of us, me, your brothers, sisters, and Alfred, all want the best for you."

"And not letting me out on a date is best for me?" Dick still wasn't convinced.

"About that..."

Dick sighed. "So, you still want me to cancel, then?"

"No. I realized that my decision was a little rash. There's no reason why you shouldn't go," said Bruce.

"Really?" said Dick. "Yes! I'm going to go call them!" He ran out of the room, Jason trailing behind him.

"Wait," Bruce pointed at Wally. "You're not Dick's secret boyfriend?"

"What? No, no, no, no, no!" Wally spluttered. "I'm just here on best friend duty."

"Hmm." Bruce jabbed his finger to Wally's chest. "Keep it that way."


	8. Girls and Galas

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. This one is for SonYukiGoku'sSister. Hope you like it!

P.S. What do y'all think of BirdFlash?

The first thing Robin noticed when he woke up were the five familiar faces looming over him. The second thing that Robin noticed was that he hurt, _everywhere_.

"Did anyone get the liscense plate of the truck that ran me over?" Robin joked. Wait, had his voice always been that high?

"Dude, really?" Wally asked.

"What?" Dick asked.

"You're a freaking⎯" Wally was interrupted by a sharp jab to his ribs courtesy of Artemis. "Hey!"

"Way to break it to him lightly!" said Artemis.

Wally scoffed. "You mean _her_?"

"Her? What the heck are you talking about? And why is my voice so high?" Dick asked.

Superboy wordlessly thrust a mirror into his face.

 _Oh._

It wasn't his face that stared back at him, or rather, it was her face that stared back at him. That couldn't be him! He didn't have long hair or long eyelashes or that small of a nose or that full of lips or such rosy cheeks or...what was on his chest!

"What the he⎯" Dick was cut off.

"Just calm down, okay dude," said Wally.

"How can I calm down? I'm a girl!" said Dick. "How did this happen?"

Aqualad took a step forward. "It was Wotan."

"I let Wotan turn me into this?"

Megan put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. We were all off our game."

There was silence for a moment.

Then, "Oh my god. What will Batman think!" Robin said. The rest of the team shared glances.

"He is on his way now." said Megan.

"What!" said Robin.

"Please calm down. It's not that bad." Megan said. "Anyway, he should be the first one to know when something bad happens to you."

"It's not all bad," added Wally. "You make a pretty fine girl, if I do say so myself. Just look at that⎯"

"I wouldn't finish that if I were you," said a cold, deep voice from behind them. The team turned around to find The Batman staring back at them, specifically Wally, with narrowed eyes.

"I, er, I didn't mean anything by, you know," Wally stuttered.

"I know exactly what you meant." Batman growled.

"KF," whispered Robin, warningly. To Batman he said, "it's fine, really."

Batman stalked towards the group, eyes still solely trained on Wally. "You're coming back to the cave, now."

Robin spared the team a quick, somewhat sympathetic, glance before swinging his legs off and over the edge of the medbay cot. He slowly made his way over to the caped crusader, only too aware of the eyes on his back. When he reached Batman, the man covered him with his cape with a flick of his wrist. Robin let... _her_ self...be guided by the darkness, just following the leader until they had gone through the Zeta tube and arrived at the cave.

"Hey, you're back!" said Jason.

Robin stepped out from under Batman's cape. "Hey Jay."

Jason's eyes widened. "Holy crap! Who is this? Why would you let her into the cave?"

"Jason. It's me, Dick."

"Yeah, I'm so not buying that."

"It's true, I had a run-in with Wotan" said Dick.

Jason looked to Batman for confirmation. After getting a small nod, he laughed. "Wow, bud. You never can get a break can you. Aw man! Just wait till I tell Steph!"

"No!" said Dick. "I don't want anyone to know who doesn't have to. It's embarrassing enough as it it. Please, Jay." Dick's eyes started to water. Wait, why was he crying?

Jason's face softened. "Hey, don't cry, Dickie-bird. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to." He took a step forward and enveloped Dick in his arms. "And it's not all bad. I mean, you are completely adorable like this."

"Yeah," said Dick. "Wally seems to agree with you. I now have a newfound empathy for all the girls he hits on."

Jason's grip tightened. "What?"

* * *

By the next morning, all of the boys living in Wayne Manor had been told what had happened. It was slightly awkward as all of the boys sat around the dining room table, waiting for Dick to come down. Jay and Bruce had been the only ones to see him as a girl, and everyone was anxious to see what she would look like.

Only a few minutes later, Dick walked into the room. She was still wearing her pajamas, mostly because none of her pants seemed to fit her quite right.

As Dick arrived at the breakfast table, Tim instinctively got up to pull out her chair. Dick blushed, but sat down nonetheless.

"Good morning," said Dick quietly. She recieved a chorus of good mornings in response.

"Okay, I'm just gonna start off by saying that I cannot call you 'Dick' when you're a girl. From here on out, you're Ricky." said Jason.

"Ricky?" said Tim. "That's a horrible name. I say we call her Dinah."

Damien spoke up. "Already taken, you dweeb."

"Neither of those are options." said Bruce.

"Oh thank god," said Dick.

"I already informed the school that my colleague's daughter, Emily Semple, would be visiting while she was out on business in Japan. If anyone asks that's your story."

Dick nodded. "So I'm going to school. Do you think I could, er, get some clothes before we go?"

Alfred, who had just come in from the kitchen said, "I believe I have all the necessities from when Master's Stephanie and Cass were still with us. If you'll follow me…"

Dick was able to find everything he needed for the day in his sister's old rooms. And, gosh, if wearing a bra wouldn't take a lot of getting used to. He dressed in the simplest articles of clothing he could find, avoiding all dresses, and sticking to jeans and a t-shirt. But he later had to change after being reminded of the school uniform. Had the skirts always been so _short_?

He had grabbed a backpack, filled it with school supplies, and rushed downstairs, only to be pulled aside by Bruce before he could get into the car with her siblings.

"What's up?" she asked. The high-voice wasn't bothering her much anymore.

"I just wanted to remind you to stick to your cover," said Bruce. "This shouldn't last for too long, Barry and Zattara are already working on an antidote. But we don't want to draw any suspicion."

"I know, I know. Don't worry. I've handled tougher situations before," said Dick. Bruce didn't seem convinced as he still had a firm grip on her arm. "Is there anything else?"

Bruce sighed. "Just...if anything happens, let me or one of your brothers know, okay? Right away."

"I will." Dick ran off and jumped in the car. How bad could it be?

* * *

As soon as Dick got out of the car, people stared. Her brother's stood beside her until they needed to depart for their own classes. She was on her own.

Walking down the hall to her first class, she was hyper-aware of the looks and whispers she was getting, particularly from... _boys_? She ignored them and pressed on.

Everything was going to be fine. She got through classes, only having to mention her name and affiliation with Bruce Wayne for teachers to leave her be. Then, lunchtime.

The cafeteria was packed, as always. She was trying to find a seat, preferably with her brothers, when she heard it: a wolf whistle, done by none other than Doug Stanford, the academy's notorious player. She turned her head to find the victim of the demeaning gesture, only to find no one directly behind her. Looking back to Doug to see if she had misjudged where he was looking, she found her eyes locked with his.

Wait, he wasn't looking at _her_ right?

"Why does a sweetheart like you have nowhere to sit?" _Yep._ Definitely talking to her.

Maybe if she played dumb… "Hi, I'm Emily Semple. I'm new here. I have friends back home."

Doug smirked. "I'm sure you do, Emily. A boyfriend too, I'm sure."

Dick blushed. "N-no boyfriend. I'm only thirteen." Why was no one helping her out. And where were her brothers!

"Aw, come on! You're never too young to have a little fun." Said Doug. He took a few steps closer until her was right in her face. "I could show you a good time."

"Hey!" Finally, the rescue squad had arrived.

Dick was pulled back into Jason's familiar arms, Tim hovering beside her. Damien and Terry stood in front, protectively.

"Back off, Stanford," said Terry.

"Oh, so she does have a boyfriend. Or should I say four?" Doug replies smugly.

"She does not have a boyfriend. She will _never_ have four." Tim mumbled.

"So, what? You guys her bodyguards. Cause I gotta say, I would love to guard that body."

Damien growled. "If you touch Emily, you die." The threat seemed to have some effect, as Doug took a step back.

"C'mon, let's get you away from this creep, Emily," said Jason. She let herself be led to a table, all her brother's surrounding her.

"You okay? You haven't said anything," said Jason, his arm still around her shoulder.

"I'm fine. But…"

"But what? Tell us." said Jason.

Dick sighed. "Is it going to be like this everyday?"

* * *

Bruce was waiting by the door when they got home. "Terry called me to tell me about what happened. Are you okay?" he asked Dick.

"I'm fine. But tell Barry and Zatara to hurry, would you? I don't think I want to be a girl for a lot longer, no matter how much fun they have."

Bruce nodded and started to walk from the room. Just before he got through the doorway he turned around and said, "But just so we're clear, you are to have no 'fun' without my explicit permission and one of your brothers to escort you." With that, he walked briskly out of the room.

Tim snorted. "I'm so glad I'm not you right now."

Dick rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'm going to bed early."

"Ah, ah, ah," said Jason. "Didn't Bruce tell you? We have a charity ball tonight."

"What?" said Dick. "There is no way I'm going to one of those things like this."

"Well to bad." Said Jason. "We have to get you ready."

Dick's eyes widened. "No."

Damien smirked. "Oh yes, Grayson. Oh, yes."

The next hour was spent with the bat brothers forcing Dick to try on Steph and Cass' old dresses as well as a few new ones he had apparently just received that day (thanks Alfred). After a few that he absolutely refused to wear, she tried on a sparkly orange one that was alright. She proudly walked out of the closet to show it off to her brothers. Instantly the bedroom was silent.

"Um, no." said Jason.

"What do you mean, 'no'? I like it," said Dick, somewhat offended.

"Yeah, and so will every other teenaged boy there," said Tim. "Do you even realize how low the front of that thing is."

Dick huffed. "Fine." She stomped off to try on a different one. Three minutes later, she had found one that she liked that wasn't near as "low" as the last. Again, she was met with awkward silence.

"What's wrong with this one?" she asked irritably.

"Too low," Damien replied.

"You have got to be kidding me!" said Dick. "Fine. Why don't you guys pick one."

Jason smiled. "Already did!" He handed her a long blue dress. "We'll wait for you downstairs."

It actually wasn't to bad of a dress, or at least she thought. She wasn't honestly too familiar with women's fashion. But she was pretty sure she could get used to the feeling of being a princess as she walked slowly down the stairs to her awaiting family.

"You look wonderful," said Bruce (um, _weird_ ). "But don't you think it makes you look just a little bit...sophisticated?"

"Uugh, I'm wearing this one, so deal with it!"

* * *

The charity ball was as boring as all the other one's Dick had ever gone to. He just sat at a table in the corner and waited for the night to be over. His brothers had long since abandoned her to dance with girls they had met, and Bruce was off with a rich woman he couldn't remember the name of and shouldn't be expected to because there were just _so many_. But Dick, as bored as he was, was able to take solace in the fact that she only had a few more days in this girl's body before Barry and Zatara would have time to change her back to him.

"Ahem." Lost in her thoughts, Dick hadn't noticed the young man approach her.

"Yes?" Dick asked.

"Hi, I'm Jared," said the boy. The rather _cute_ boy. "I was wondering if you wanted to dance?"

Dick's eyes widened. "D-dance?" He had never really danced with anyone, especially not a boy. Not that he hadn't thought about it once or twice.

"Uh, yeah." Jared shifted and blushed. "If you don't want to that's fine. It's just, you were sitting here all alone, and you looked pretty bored. I mean, not pretty like _that_. Er, no. You are very pretty. But, um…"

Dick giggled, _giggled_ , and stood up. "I would love to."

Jared grinned and timidly took Dick's hand, leading her to the dance floor. A slow song was playing. Jared's hands found the small of Dick's back. Although, from all the dance lessons Bruce had insisted on, Dick had never been the one to not take the lead, it felt almost nice to let his arms rest loosely on Jared's shoulders. For the three and a half minutes the dance lasted, Dick enjoyed herself more than she had at all of the charity balls she had ever gone to combined. Not that that was saying much.

As the song ended, Jared opened his mouth to ask if Dick wanted to keep dancing, but before he could say anything Bruce pushed his way between the two of them. After sending Jared a harsh Daddybats glare that sent him fleeing with only the briefest of goodbyes he turned to Dick.

"What did I say about having fun!"


	9. Molars and Madness

**A/N:** **This is for Flyingsquirrels. I'm not super familiar with the procedure for getting your wisdom teeth taken out, so I hope this kinda makes sense.**

 **Also, the line about Wally the Wall, comes from a blooper of my classmate. He passed away in a car crash the other day and it's a sort of a tribute.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

"We'll be right here when you wake up," said Jason, laying a hand on Dick's shoulder.

"I know. I'll be fine." said Dick. "You can go now."

Terry stepped forward. "It's okay to be scared, Dick. We all get scared."

Dick's eyes narrowed. "I'm not scared. I've had worse. You do remember that time with Joker, and Penguin, and Two Face, and Poison Ivy…"

"Yeah, yeah. But this is different. It's a milestone." Jason said.

"A milestown," Damian frowned. "Really?"

"Shut up," said Jason.

Bruce stepped forward. "Boys. We need to go. The doctor will be here any minute."

Grumbling, the boys reluctantly left the room, waving to Dick or, in Jason's case, giving the boy a quick kiss on the forehead and a 'love you, bro.' Soon only Bruce was left. The man turned to Dick and brushed the boy's bangs out of his face.

"We'll see you in a few hours. Don't have to much fun."

"Fun?" Dick asked. "How can getting my wisdom teeth pulled out be fun at all, in any way?"

Bruce's face took the form of a rare grin. "We'll see."

* * *

After a few hours in the waiting room, the boys and Bruce were finally told that Dick was in recovery. They all filed into his room.

Jason stepped up to his bed. "Hey, Dickie-bird. You can wake-up, now." Dick's eyes fluttered opened. Upon seeing Jason, a loopy smile appeared on his face.

"Jasssson," Dick slurred. "Don't tellllllllll anyone, but I tttthink you're the cooooolest. Ssshhhh…" Dick's head flopped back onto his pillow.

Jason smirked. "I knew it." Tim elbowed him.

Suddenly, Dick's head jerked back up. "Where's the duck!"

Damien raised an eyebrow. "The duck?"

"The ducky was nice. But she forced me to go to sleep. Ssshe had a bbbbbunch of sharpy tools. That wassn't nice," said Dick.

"You mean the doctor?" asked Terry.

"S'wha I said," Dick mumbled.

Bruce laid his hand on Dick's shoulder. "We can leave whenever you're ready. And when we get home you're resting."

"I want to be a ninja too, though," said Dick.

"Um," said Bruce. "You can be a ninja if you want to be, Dick."

"No! I want to ninja with you! Tonight!"

Bruce sighed. "Dick, you have to rest tonight. Just wait a few days, okay."

Dick's eyes started to water. "Ninjas never leave nnninjas behind. Youuu can't leave mmme behind, Daddy!"

Jason chuckled as Bruce awkwardly tried to console Dick. "Geez, what do they have you on, little brother?"

"Jason, don't provoke him," said Bruce, helping Dick up. "Come on, we're going home."

Dick pushed Bruce away and reached his arms towards Damien. "Carry me!"

Damien crossed his arms. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll love you forever and ever!"

"No."

Dick's bottom lip trembled. "What's wrong with my love?"

"Nothing."

Dick brightened. "So you'll carry me!"

"No."

"Fine." Dick sat himself on the ground. "Then I'm not moving."

Bruce sighed. "Damien, _please_."

Damien shot Bruce a heated glare and grabbed Dick none to gently from the ground. "I hate you."

Dick ignored the comment and snuggled into Damien's chest. "Snuggles are like, they're like, oh! Snuggles are like rainbowwwws. Rainbows that you feel in your bones."

"Should someone be recording this?" Tim asked.

"No." said Bruce and Damian.

"Oh come on," said Jason. "He's so cute like this! Don't you want to remember these times when he becomes an angsty, hormonal teenager?"

"Hey!" said Dick. "I'm not cute!"

Terry smiled. "Well…"

Dick scrunched his face up. "I'm not! Puppies are cute and I'm not a puppy! I'm a bird." The boy puffed his chest out proudly at the last part.

"Puppies, huh." said Tim.

"Yeah," said Dick. "Puppies, and kitty-cats, and ducklings, and fairies, and toddlers, and Wally. All cutsies!"

Jason raised his eyebrows. "Wally, huh?"

Damien glanced down at the boy in his arms. "Isn't that the womanizer?"

"More like the want-to-be womanizer," explained Tim.

"Who cares," said Jason as the group finally made their way out of the room. "I can totally use this as blackmail."

Dick fell asleep in Damien's arms on the way to the car. Seeing this, Bruce stepped forward. "I can take him, Damien."

Damien's arms visibly tightened around the boy in his arms and he looked away. "I've got him," he mumbled.

The rest of the company exchanged looks, but didn't say anything.

Alfred was waiting out front with the car. Tim scrambled in first, holding out his arms to assist Damien in getting Dick inside. In the end, after everyone was situated, most of Dick was sprawled across Tim and Damien, his legs cradled by Terry. Jason took a picture of the scene with his phone, ignoring the protests he received to delete it. He knew they would all secretly want a copy later.

The ride was silent except for Dick's heavy breathing. Occasionally the youngest would yell out an incoherent sentence or two.

Soon, the car slowed down and the boys climbed out. This time it was Terry who held Dick to his chest. Damien gave him glares when he thought no one was looking.

Alfred was waiting for them in the foyer. "Soup is ready if you'd like," he said. "I thought if appropriate for Dick to have his in bed if he felt up to eating."

Bruce nodded. "That would be wonderful, Alfred. And would you mind bringing up some ice for the swelling."

"Of course, sir."

"Oh," said Jason. "And some water. The doc said to drink lots of fluids!"

Alfred nodded and walked off.

Terry had already toed off his shoes and was halfway up the grand staircase. Dick's eyes fluttered open.

"Where are me?" Dick asked.

"Home," Terry answered. "We're almost to your room, just hang tight, okay."

"M not a koala. I'm a biirrrd." Dick slurred.

"Whatever you say," Terry agreed, shouldering open Dick's bedroom door. He managed to pull back the covers and deposit the young boy onto the bed before Tim, Damien, Jason, and Bruce arrived. The brother's rushed in to swarm Dick's bedside.

Bruce, still standing in the doorway, said, "Don't forget his medication," and slipped away.

Jason plopped himself beside Dick on the bed. "So, Dickie-bird, what's this I hear about Wally?" Dick gave him a blank look.

"You didn't think I'd forget, did you?" Jason asked.

"He is Wally the wall and he's the best wall," Dick said seriously.

Terry chuckled. "I don't think you're going to get any coherent answers out of him now, Jason. You can interrogate him later."

"Oh," said Jason, smiling. "I will."

"Ahem." Alfred stood in the doorway. Upon the tray in his hands sat a bowl of soup, a glass of water, and an ice pack wrapped in a thin dishtowel. The man gracefully walked into the room and placed the tray carefully on Dick's bedside table.

Alfred opened his mouth to speak but Terry beat him to it. "We'll bring the tray down

when we're finished Alfred. Thank you." Alfred nodded graciously and exited the room.

"Okay," said Tim, turning to Dick. "Are you hungry?"

Dick shrugged.

"Alright," said Jason. "I'm gonna take that as a yes." He grabbed the bowl of soup from the tray and proceeded to shove a spoonful into Dick's mouth.

"Mmmm!" said Dick, eyes wide.

Terry plucked the spoon from Jason's hand. "Okay, I think that's enough of that." Terry reached for the ice pack and wrapped it in the towel. He gently placed it on Dick's cheek.

Dick gasped. "Sneasel! Ice Shard attack, go!"

"What?" asked Damien.

"Pokémon," said Tim.

"What?" asked Damien.

Tim shook his head. "Nevermind."

"Guys, shh," said Terry. He pointed to Dick, whose eyelids were drooping.

Jason looked incredulous. "How is he _still_ tired?"

"Shut up and let him sleep, Todd," said Damien.

Tim went to turn the light off and grab the tray on the bedside table. Terry plucked the water glass off the tray before Tim could take it downstairs and left it on the bedside table for when Dick woke up.

Damien and Jason followed Tim and Terry out of the room, each going their separate ways.

"Todd," said Damien.

Jason turned to look at him. "What?"

"You'll send me that picture, right?" Damien asked. "The one you took in the car?"

Jason smiled. "Yeah, Dami, I will."

"And if you tell anybody I asked, you're dead."

Jason rolled his eyes and turned on his heel. "Yeah, yeah, softy. Whatever you say."


	10. Interrogations and Intuition

**A/N: Hey everyone! A lot of you asked to see a chapter where Jason interrogated Dick, so I wrote this. I'm not super happy with it. It's short but will hopefully tide you over until the next chapter.**

 **Also, I'm looking for a beta that can help me with chapter plots and characterization. So, if you're interested, P.M. me.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Dick sat on his bed, fiddling with his laptop. His homework was done and he was extremely bored. There was a knock at the door and Dick looked up to find Jason peeking in.

"Are you busy?" asked Jason.

"Nope!" said Dick. "Why? Do you want to do something? Maybe a board game? I haven't played Monopoly in _ages_!"

"Monopoly? You sure you don't mean monogamy?" asked Jason.

"What?" said Dick, closing his laptop. But Jason didn't reply, just shut the door and locked it. "Jason, what the heck?"

Jason turned to face his younger brother. "Let's play a game, shall we." When Dick's face lit up he added, "and it's _not_ monopoly." Dick's face fell, but Jason continued. "I'm gonna say a word and you're going to tell me the first thing that pops into your head."

"Um, okay…" said Dick.

"First word: awesome."

"Me," said Dick.

"Karma," said Jason.

"Sucks," said Dick.

"Calm."

"Kaldur."

"Bowl," said Jason.

"Cereal," Dick replied.

"Angry."

"Connor."

"Green."

"Megan."

"Magic."

"Zatanna."

"Sarcasm."

"Artemis."

"Cute."

"Wal—" Dick cut himself off when he realized what he was saying but Jason still caught it.

"Haha! I knew it!" said Jason triumphantly.

Dick sputtered. "You don't know for sure if I was going to say 'Wally.'"

"Ahh," said Jason raising his eyebrows. "But I never said anything about Wally. I thought you were going to say 'walls'. And I get it, they're blank planes of mottled plaster. They are absolutely adorable."

Dick's cheeks turned pink. He opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to decide what to say. After a while he settled on, "What do you want here, Jason?"

"I think the better question is 'what _don't_ I want?'" said Jason. "I want to know everything about your new, budding, gay relationship!"

Dick huffed. "I'm not gay."

Jason held up his hands. "Alright, I'm sorry. I just assumed that maybe you were since your date with that girl last valentine's day didn't go that great and you think about Wally as 'cute.'"

"Just because I think a guy is cute doesn't make me a gay!" Dick laughed. "Do I really need to remind you of your boy-crush on Robert Downey Jr.? I'm pretty sure you watched Iron Man three times in one sitting once! And, for your information, that date I went on was fine. I just realized that I thought of Barbara as more of a friend than a girlfriend," Dick finished haughtily.

"Woah. Dude, I thought we made a pact to never mention Rob again!" said Jason.

Dick raised his eyebrows. "You call him ' _Rob'_?"

"That is completely beside the point! And we were talking about _you_ , not me," said Jason.

"Jason, I don't want to talk about this," said Dick, turning back to his laptop.

"Why not?" asked Jason. Dick gave him a disbelieving look. "Okay, I get why not. But, as your older brother, it's my duty to pass on to you the relationship wisdom I have gathered over the years and I can't do a very good job if I don't know what team you play for."

Dick opened his laptop again and began typing. "Go away." Jason looked at him for a long time.

"You do know that there is nothing wrong with being gay, right?" said Jason. When Dick didn't respond he grabbed the boy's chin so that they were face to face and said again, "Right?"

Dick slapped Jason's hand off of his face. " _I know_. Don't give me the acceptance speech, please. But I really don't think I _am_ gay. I think girls are asterous," said Dick.

Jason smiled gently. "So, Wally is the one exception?" The older boy began to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively.

"You have five seconds to get out of my room," said Dick. Jason ignored him.

"I guess it makes sense," said Jason. "You guys have been friends for so long that you're practically two halves of the same whole. I wouldn't worry about it-Hey! What are you doing?"

"Sending Bruce that selfie you took of yourself at that party he forbade you to go to," Dick said nonchalantly.

Jason jumped up. "Okay, okay! I'm leaving! But this isn't over!" Dick smirked and followed his brother to the door. Dick was about to shut it when Jason appeared again.

"But, _Wally_? Seriously?" said Jason. "Of all the guys to choose from—"

Dick slammed the door in his face before he could finish.


	11. Deaged and Doting

**A/N:** **It has been way to long since I've updated, and this chapter isn't the compensation you deserve for such a long wait. Sorry in advance.**

 **I got a few requests for a deaging story a while ago and I'm just now getting to it. Be warned, Dick is 6, not a baby really. I have a hard time writing really little kids so that's the best I felt I could do. I'll try to get a longer, better chapter out faster than it took me to get this one out.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has read my story and favorited or followed it! And reviews have reached triple-digits! You guys and gals are super awesome! Okay, that's it.**

To be honest, nobody was that surprised. With all the weird stuff that went down on a daily basis, this one was bound to make it on the list at some point. If only it hadn't happened on this particular day to this particular person. Because while it wasn't the worst thing that could've happened, no one wanted to be the one to tell Batman that his thirteen-year-old protégé was now a six-year-old one. This was why the team was currently sitting inside the bioship, waiting for an ingenious idea to rain down upon them and relieve them from the duty of showing any of the League the toddler sleeping contentedly in Wally's lap.

"Maybe he won't notice?" Wally said lamely.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "I say we drop the kid off and then get the hell out of here before Batman has time to get his wrath together," she said.

"Can you do that?" Meghan's eyes were wide. "Escape Batman's wrath?"

Aqualad sighed. "Even if it were possible, it would not be the right thing to do. As his teammates we must take responsibility."

Connor stood up. "Let's just get it over with."

Batman stood menacingly before the team, his eyes narrowed. It wasn't hard to piece everything together. He was the world's greatest detective after all.

The team shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. After a few moments of silence, Batman took a step towards Kidflash, who instinctively took a step back, and held out his arms. Wally quickly obliged to the unspoken request and handed the young boy in his arms, still sleeping, to the Dark Knight. As soon as Robin was in Batman's arms he buried his head into the crook of the man's neck and sighed.

Megan giggled at the adorable sight but covered her mouth with her hand at Batman's glare.

"Black Canary is waiting for you all in the training room," said Batman. Before the team left the room he added, "We _will_ be talking over your unsatisfactory results when Robin is no longer… compromised." Batman adjusted his grip on his sleeping protégé and made his way to the zeta tubes.

As soon as he stepped into the cave, the man was greeted by Alfred.

"Shall I dig out a pair of your old clothes, sir?" Alfred asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Please," Bruce replied, managing to take off his cowl while not releasing his grip on Robin. Only when he went to change into his normal clothes did Bruce, reluctantly, set the boy down in a chair and cover him up with his cape.

Dick's eyes blinked open. He rubbed a fist over his eyes and yawned before looking around. He whimpered at the unfamiliar setting of the cave, and his eyes began to tear up.

Bruce hurried back as soon as he heard Dick start sobbing. "Hey, hey! It's okay," Bruce said as he picked the little boy up and gently bounced him on his hip. "You're okay."

"I want Mommy and Daddy!" Dick wailed. Bruce's heart clenched.

"Your mommy and daddy aren't here right now," said Bruce, holding the boy that much tighter. "But I'm here. So let's calm down, okay. You're safe with me."

"Wow. You're quite the natural," said Jason. He was leaning against one of the walls, looking on at the scene in front of him. "So, who's this little bugger?" Bruce spared a quick glance at Jason before sighing. Jason's eyes widened. "No."

"Unfortunately, yes," said Bruce.

Jason squealed. "Let me hold him!" He rushed toward the father and son pair, arms outstretched. Dick tensed in Bruce's arms and the man took a step away from Jason.

"Watch it," Bruce said. "He doesn't know who we are," he added more quietly.

Jason's face fell. He looked at Dick again, though, and smiled. "Hey, Dickie-bird." Dick peeked at Jason through teary eyes.

"Dickie-bird?" the little boy sniveled.

"Yeah," said Jason. "That's what I call my little brother. You remind me of him."

Dick blinked. "Really?"

"Really."

Dick bit his lip. "I always wanted a brother."

"Well, maybe until we find your…parents," Jason looked to Bruce for confirmation on the subject matter before continuing. "I can be your honorary big brother. You know, show you around the mansion, maybe even smuggle some cookies." Jason said the last part in a stage whisper and Dick giggled. "What do you say?" Dick seemed to contemplate the idea. After a few moments he nodded and twisted around in Bruce's arms, reaching for Jason.

Grinning, the teen rushed forward to collect the young boy. The pair exited the cave, Bruce looking on in bewilderment as Jason talked animatedly to a fascinated Dick. They really were brothers of the closest variety.


	12. Warmth and Wallowing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or Gilmore Girls (from which I totally stole the plot for this chapter.**

 **A/N: So this was a long time coming. Sorry to keep you all waiting! My goal is to get the next chapter out by early March at the latest. Thank you for reading and thanks to all who reviewed previous chapters! Enjoy!**

Chapter 12: Warmth and Wallowing

"Are you sure you want to go? No one would blame you if you stayed home," said Terry. He, along with the rest of his brothers, was sitting at the kitchen table and watching as Dick finished his breakfast.

"I'm fine," said Dick. He placed his now empty plate by the sink and grabbed his bag. "And the team was expecting me today. I don't want to disappoint them for something so trivial." Tim and Terry shared a disbelieving look. Jason was staring at the youngest family member intensely.

"Dickie-bird," Jason started, placing a gentle hand on Dick's shoulder. "It's not trivial. It's a big deal." Dick shrugged the hand off.

"It's not a big deal! And anyway, it was bound to happen at some point. At least I got it out of the way now," said Dick. Jason frowned at the response and was about to rebuke when Bruce walked in.

"Wow. Why are you all up so early?" Bruce asked. He eyed Jason. "…on a Saturday." Terry, Tim, Jason, and Damien turned their heads toward Dick, who rolled his eyes.

"I am going to Mount Justice. Black Canary is holding an early training session and then we're taking Megan and Conner to the Museum." Dick grabbed his bag. "We'll probably do something afterward so I won't be home till late." Everyone watched as he exited the room.

Bruce reached for the coffee pot. "What happened this time?" The four remaining brothers glanced at each other before they began to tell Bruce what they knew.

Just as promised, Dick arrived home late…with bags in tow. Bruce was waiting for him in the sitting room. Dick almost didn't notice him, but Bruce cleared his throat to gain his attention.

Dick sighed. "They told you, didn't they?"

"I already had my suspicions," said Bruce.

Dick pursed his lips. "Look, before you give me the whole spiel can I at least show you what I got?" Dick didn't wait for an answer. He dug into one of the bags and pulled out a soap dish in the shape of a bat. "I thought we needed a soap dish for the kitchen so I went looking after we went to the museum and look what I found! Isn't it the best?" He began to rummage through the same bag again. "Buuuut, since I thought you might not be whelmed by the obvious hint at your secret nightlife, I got this one too!" Dick held up a similar dish in the shape of a cat. "And I figured that if you didn't like it you could give to Selina. But you would have to promise to video the look on her face when she got it."

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "Dick— "

"Wait, I got a bunch more things. I even stopped by the supermarket and picked up some frozen pizza things for the toaster in case someone got snacky. They look kind of gross, but I figured Jason would eat— "

"Dick!" said Bruce. "Please. Put the bags down and come sit." He gestured to the spot beside him on the couch. Dick reluctantly set the soap dishes down and sat down next to Bruce. The man watched as his young ward fidget uncomfortably, no doubt dreading the conversation that was to come.

"It's okay to be sad. Sadness is not a weakness," said Bruce. Dick shook his head.

"I know it's not. I just don't want to feel sad. I don't _need_ to feel sad over this. I'm fourteen, I wasn't expecting us to stay together forever," said Dick.

Bruce looked at Dick appraisingly. "It's the fact that you _are_ fourteen that makes this painful. You're old enough to experience in-depth relationships but that also makes you vulnerable to heartbreak," said Bruce. "Although, just to be clear," he added, "none of your relationships should be _too_ in-depth." Dick raised an eyebrow.

"Look, Bruce, I had a girlfriend and now I don't. It's as simple as that." Dick stood up and grabbed his bags. "Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go show these things to someone who will appreciate them." Dick ran up the stairs.

Bruce took a deep breath. This was going to be harder than he thought.

The team sat in the cave living room. They had just finished watching Howl's Moving Castle and were glancing lazily at the screen as the credits rolled by.

"I don't get it," Superboy grunted. Megan patted his arm comfortingly.

Robin grabbed the remote. "So, what next? I heard the new Portlandia season is good. Who's with me?"

"Um, Conner and I have plans," said Megan as she and Conner got up and headed for the door. "Next time, though."

Aqualad nodded. "I too have an engagement. I will be back soon." Artemis stood up too, saying how she had a date with one of the fourth years at her new school. Only Wally and Robin were left.

"Looks like it's just you and me, then," said Robin. "How about a Halo marathon?"

"No can do, bro," said Wally. "That hottie, Teagan, finally realized what a catch I was and agreed to let me take her to the carnival tonight. She's no Megan but she's pretty darn close. I mean, her— "

"Okay!" Robin interrupted. "I don't need the details. I'll see you later."

Wally grinned. "See ya, man."

Robin was left alone. He tucked his knees to his chest.

It finally hit him.

Bruce sat in his study, pouring over the neat pile of papers on his desk. He had turned the overhead light off in favor of the various lamps spread throughout the room. He was getting ready to take a break when the door to his office squeaked. He quickly looked up.

In the doorway stood Dick. His eyes were red and puffy and he fiddled with the sleeves of his sweatshirt uncertainly. At the sight of his distraught son, Bruce put his papers down.

"Dick?" Bruce asked. "What's wrong?"

Dick sniffed. "I-I'm the only one t-that doesn't have anyone. And I just—I think I'm ready t-to wallow now." The boy wiped some stray tears on his sleeve.

Bruce observed the boy for a moment before opening his arms to his son. Dick shuffled awkwardly to Bruce, trying not to look too eager. Bruce pulled the boy into his lap, letting Dick bury his face in his shoulder and let out the occasional sob.

Bruce removed one hand from Dick's shaking shoulders and picked up his desk phone. "Hello, Alfred," he said quietly. "Would you order some take-out from Lin Lee's?...Yes, that sounds good. And bring a carton of ice-cream up to my room. We'll be there in a minute…that's the one. Can you also let Terry and Tim know that they'll be handling patrol tonight? Thank you, Alfred." Brue set the phone down and turned back to Dick. "Come on, my room will be more comfortable," Bruce said, leaning down to kiss Dick's temple. "You're going to be all right."


End file.
